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a) b - École Polytechnique de Montréal

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APPENDIX IV<br />

A- 4 Relationship between Conductivity and Morphology<br />

of Ternary Polymer Blends<br />

This annex is a comprehensive study of a ternary blend for the case of complete wetting in which<br />

conductivity data are used to justify the behavior of a ternary blend, which is attributed to its<br />

morphology and is based on the composition of its components. It was observed that the lowest<br />

percolation threshold (as low as 3%) for a ternary blend has been found in a double percolated<br />

structure for the complete wetting case. Due to high interfacial tension between PANI and<br />

common polymers, it is almost impossible to situate PANI at the interface.<br />

According to the positive spreading coefficient of PVDF over PANI (λPVDF/PANI = 7.3 mN/m in<br />

HDPE/PVDF/PANI) (Figure A-4.1), PVDF is forced to the interface. In this case, PANI and<br />

HDPE situate in the insi<strong>de</strong> and outsi<strong>de</strong>, and PVDF locates at the interface. The lower interfacial<br />

tension between PVDF and PANI results in the interpenetration of the entire PANI and PVDF in<br />

each other, and the formation of small phase sizes. Some big parts of PVDF polymer have been<br />

clearly removed after extraction of PVDF by DMF in such a morphology (Figure A-4.1a).<br />

Solvent extraction/gravimetric measurement reveals that some part of the PANI entrapped in the<br />

PVDF phase is removed with PVDF. By <strong>de</strong>creasing the amount of PVDF to as little as 20%, as<br />

shown in Figure A-4.1b, the number of large PVDF islands reduces. These disappearances of<br />

large PVDF parts continue with the reduction of the amount of PVDF until no large PVDF parts<br />

are observed in the 45/10/45 HDPE/PVDF/PANI blend (Figure A-4.1c). However, the large<br />

parts of PVDF play an important role in reducing the percolation threshold of PANI, as they<br />

occupy some spaces in the blend and limit the presence of PANI in those areas. It can be<br />

conclu<strong>de</strong>d that one of the best ways of reducing the percolation threshold, <strong>de</strong>spite the doublepercolated<br />

structure, is occupying places with other components. In a 33/33/33<br />

HDPE/PVDF/PANI blend, the area occupied by PANI has been limited because of continuous<br />

phases of PVDF and HDPE, and large PVDF areas. This results in a lower percolation threshold<br />

252

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